This invention relates to the assembly and disassembly of roller skate components, and particularly as related to the roller skate construction of the above-identified U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,324.
In that patent, a roller skate includes a foot plate having downwardly depending sockets which receive resilient cushion blocks therein. An axle is seated in the lower end portion of each cushion block. The axle and cushion block are secured together by a bolt and nut assembly, with the bolt passing axially through the cushion block and also through an opening in the axle. The cushion block is held in position between the socket and the axle by a nut disposed adjacent the axle with the resilient block forces tending to keep the axle and block in assembled relationship by preventing the nut from unscrewing.
Up to now, it has been difficult to effectively assemble the axle to the cushion block and foot plate because the nut must be threadably tightened down against the outward axial biasing force of the resilient cushion block and axle. Likewise, disassembly has proven difficult because the said biasing force tends to bind the nut and keep it from turning.
The present invention is directed to a solution to the above-mentioned problem.
In accordance with a broad aspect of the invention, the cushion block is axially compressed to permit free threadable rotation of the nut on the bolt shaft. During assembly, the cushion block is first compressed axially and the nut applied onto the bolt, at which time the compressive forces are then released, causing the nut to be bindingly tightened to the bolt. During disassembly, the cushion block is compressed, thereby freeing the nut so that it is loose on the bolt and can be easily removed therefrom. The compression is then released.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the compressive forces are applied to the cushion block by moving the seated axle axially of the bolt.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a tool is constructed to squeezingly engage the upper bolt head and the seated axle for compressing the cushion block. The axle is engaged by the tool on both sides of the bolt shaft.